OUT-DOOR MEDICAL RELIEF.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1159, 21 June 1911, Page 6

OUT-DOOR MEDICAL RELIEF.

THREE MONTHS' TRIAL At the meeting of tho Hospital Board in May a sub-committee, of which Mr. J. W. M'Ewan is chairman, brought dowa a report (of which a summary has already been published) on tho subject of out-door medical relief. Brielly, the committco recommended (hat a'system of out-door medical relief should bo tried for a period of three months. It was recommended that tho fees to bo paid to medical men for attending indigent persons should I*. from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., fivo shillings per visit; from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., ten shillings per visit. In moving tho adoption of tho report yesterday, Sir. M'Ewan said ho did not think that thero was so numerous ' a class of people too poor to obtain medical assistance through friendly societies as tlm board had l>een led to understand. However, the sub-committeo considered that it would be a good thing to give this ■scheme three months' trial.. Valuable information would thus be obtained as to the extent to which indigent persons were treated by medical men, without remuneration. Adopting the report of the committee would not commit tho board to a final adoption of the. scheme should the charges involved provo to be excessive. Air. I). Robertson seconded. Mr. Godber asked if medical men usually charged a guinea for attending a patient after 8 p.m. Tho chairman replied in tho affirmative. "No wonder they have some bad debts then," said Mr. Godber. The report was adopted without further discussion.